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Fresh, Minty Viscera In Vengeance Of Mr. Peppermint Demo
Vengeance of Mr. Peppermint is like playing a pixel art version of Old Boy with Katana Zero threads, and Arrest of a Stone Buddha's combat.
It might be too late for the Steam Next Fest now, but there’s still time to wishlist Vengeance of Mr. Peppermint and get it on the release date. That doesn’t make much sense. Oh well, take notes – this is one you want to add.
It will come as no revelation, but this story is about vengeance and not just a clever title. You play a hard-boiled detective who sets out to gratuitously punish those responsible for his sister’s death by beating them to a pulp with his bare hands or using any object that comes to hand.
One such highlight was pulling out a hammer and driving it into the skull of a suit-clad thug, all because he looked at me funny. Film fans might draw a comparison to one of the best films ever made, Old Boy (the original, not the remake), for its corridor brawlings, but as cinematic as Vengeance of Mr. Peppermint may be, it’s a side-scrolling beat ’em up at heart.
So, what can we compare it to? Think Katana Zero mashed up with Arrest of a Stone Buddha by Yeo. Visually, it resembles both, but the narrative is more in line with the former as our protagonist is slipping in and out of reality/multiple timelines, whereas the combat is more on par with Buddha.
Vengeance of Mr. Peppermint wasn’t fussed about easing you into the action with any sort of tutorial, and instead, you simply walk up to a crim and punch their face until it resembles Play-Doh. Sure, it’s pixel art, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t shocking and that much easier to stomach. Before you call the psychiatrists, I loved it.
There was some lag with some of the controls, and it wasn’t always clear how to pull off a special, though this was a demo – give it a chance. Needless to say, the narrative alone was compelling and like any John Woo/Nicholas Winding Refn flick. I was eager to learn more about what happens after destroying Daryl Hannah and her stupid eyepatch.
Let’s not kid ourselves, though. That wanton viscera was terrific, and I want more. And remember, I compared this to Old Boy and Katana Zero – one of my favourite movies and one of the best indie games, in my opinion, of all time. No pressure, Hack the Publisher. None whatsoever.
Vengeance of Mr. Peppermint is out on Steam from the 23rd of October, 2023. The demo is no longer available, but I encourage you to watch some gameplay videos at the very least.
